Overheard at Work 2

[ixtap]

@Imma I'm curious if any of your coworkers invested in one of the crypto Ponzi schemes that have been in the news lately (Terra, Celsius, etc) and if they've talked about any losses.

I actually don't pay attention to the details because I'm so annoyed inside but trying to act appropriately on the outside, but they all talk about their massive gains all the time. Not sure why any of them are still working  .... ;-).

DH has a colleague that talks just as much about how he spends it. Seems to be the it must be better because I spent more type. It is never about the deal he got.

[wkumtrider]

Talking to a coworker today and retirement came up.  Coworker is 57 and said he can retire in 9 years which is when he gets full SS.  He said he should have his brand new 34 ft RV trailer and brand new Ford F350 paid off by then.  He makes ok money but that is a huge purchase at that age, in my opinion.   I wish him the best.

[Catbert]

Talking to a coworker today and retirement came up.  Coworker is 57 and said he can retire in 9 years which is when he gets full SS.  He said he should have his brand new 34 ft RV trailer and brand new Ford F350 paid off by then.  He makes ok money but that is a huge purchase at that age, in my opinion.   I wish him the best.

In 9 years neither the RV nor the F350 will be "brand new" so they'll need to be replaced.  Rinse and repeat.

[techwiz]

Talking to a coworker today and retirement came up.  Coworker is 57 and said he can retire in 9 years which is when he gets full SS.  He said he should have his brand new 34 ft RV trailer and brand new Ford F350 paid off by then.  He makes ok money but that is a huge purchase at that age, in my opinion.   I wish him the best.

In 9 years neither the RV nor the F350 will be "brand new" so they'll need to be replaced.  Rinse and repeat.

I was thinking the same thing!

[jinga nation]

just overheard:
not a co-worker, but someone who sits 2 desks away in cube-ish/open seating land. In a phone convo, he tells someone that he drives a huge truck, and between gas and tolls, his round trip costs about $27. Per day. Which is why he works mostly from home. But his boss, who I used to work with, told me the whole team is coming back to work full time in the office since COVID is over, and the special projects this guy was working on are coming to an end.
I need to stock up on popcorn kernels. going to melt some good NZ salted butter for drizzling on freshly popped.

[ATtiny85]

fresh one this morning

CW1: got a ticket and a warning yesterday. Warning for speeding, but she wrote me a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt. Unmarked State Trooper.

CW2: uh, seatbelts are really easy to wear...

CW1: I don't like belts, and I don't like seatbelts. I did wear it the rest of the trip. The ticket was $135.

[rockstache]

fresh one this morning

CW1: got a ticket and a warning yesterday. Warning for speeding, but she wrote me a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt. Unmarked State Trooper.

CW2: uh, seatbelts are really easy to wear...

CW1: I don't like belts, and I don't like seatbelts. I did wear it the rest of the trip. The ticket was $135.

Until recently I didn't realize there were people who still didn't wear seatbelts. Then I moved to the south and saw people holding their baby on the front seat.

[Kris]

fresh one this morning

CW1: got a ticket and a warning yesterday. Warning for speeding, but she wrote me a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt. Unmarked State Trooper.

CW2: uh, seatbelts are really easy to wear...

CW1: I don't like belts, and I don't like seatbelts. I did wear it the rest of the trip. The ticket was $135.

Until recently I didn't realize there were people who still didn't wear seatbelts. Then I moved to the south and saw people holding their baby on the front seat.

To own the libs.

[six-car-habit]

just overheard:
not a co-worker, but someone who sits 2 desks away in cube-ish/open seating land. In a phone convo, he tells someone that he drives a huge truck, and between gas and tolls, his round trip costs about $27. Per day. Which is why he works mostly from home. But his boss, who I used to work with, told me the whole team is coming back to work full time in the office since COVID is over, and the special projects this guy was working on are coming to an end.
I need to stock up on popcorn kernels. going to melt some good NZ salted butter for drizzling on freshly popped.

  Have a co-worker with a big truck daily driver who has been lamenting high gas prices and saying he needs to buy an efficient commuter for around $4K. Only honda or toyota though, because reasons.  I comb the local auto for-sale ads pretty often, and mentioned to him several likely candidates locally, both honda/ toyota and other makes.

I've since stopped suggesting anything.  As he hasn't actually looked at any used vehicles.
    Really i think he just likes complaining about the cost of gas, because he came into a decent inheritance some time ago - but the priority seems to be outfitting a baby granddaughters room with California closets organizers, and other things an amercian baby can't live without apparently, to the tune of $4K+ recently...

[Adventine]

fresh one this morning

CW1: got a ticket and a warning yesterday. Warning for speeding, but she wrote me a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt. Unmarked State Trooper.

CW2: uh, seatbelts are really easy to wear...

CW1: I don't like belts, and I don't like seatbelts. I did wear it the rest of the trip. The ticket was $135.

Until recently I didn't realize there were people who still didn't wear seatbelts. Then I moved to the south and saw people holding their baby on the front seat.

To own the libs.

You know, when I used to live in a country where the typical city driving speed was 15 miles an hour in bumper to bumper traffic, and where I always sat in the back, I never bothered with seatbelts. Never had a problem in 30 years.


Then I moved to the US and experienced US freeway driving in the South. It put the fear of God into me. When I last visited my home country, I got nervous whenever I didn't use the seatbelt, even as a passenger in the back, riding along in slow city traffic.

[SpaceCow]

I recently transferred agencies within the federal government. New agency doesn't pay for parking at the office. Not a big deal--there's a free parking garage an 8 minute walk away (half a mile).

I learned that nearly all of my coworkers instead opt for the $10 surface lot next to our office building. $10 a day 2-5 days in the office per week. "That walk from the free garage will feel a lot longer when it's wintertime," I was told.

[zolotiyeruki]

I learned that nearly all of my coworkers instead opt for the $10 surface lot next to our office building. $10 a day 2-5 days in the office per week. "That walk from the free garage will feel a lot longer when it's wintertime," I was told.

...Which is why they're paying $10/day in the summer?

[Sugaree]

I recently transferred agencies within the federal government. New agency doesn't pay for parking at the office. Not a big deal--there's a free parking garage an 8 minute walk away (half a mile).

I learned that nearly all of my coworkers instead opt for the $10 surface lot next to our office building. $10 a day 2-5 days in the office per week. "That walk from the free garage will feel a lot longer when it's wintertime," I was told.

Don't most federal agencies offer some kind of mass transit benefits?  Mine will pay most of the cost a vanpool if you can find enough riders.  I've heard of others that will subsidize metro passes.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

I recently transferred agencies within the federal government. New agency doesn't pay for parking at the office. Not a big deal--there's a free parking garage an 8 minute walk away (half a mile).

I learned that nearly all of my coworkers instead opt for the $10 surface lot next to our office building. $10 a day 2-5 days in the office per week. "That walk from the free garage will feel a lot longer when it's wintertime," I was told.

For $10 a day, you can find a better vice.

[SpaceCow]

I recently transferred agencies within the federal government. New agency doesn't pay for parking at the office. Not a big deal--there's a free parking garage an 8 minute walk away (half a mile).

I learned that nearly all of my coworkers instead opt for the $10 surface lot next to our office building. $10 a day 2-5 days in the office per week. "That walk from the free garage will feel a lot longer when it's wintertime," I was told.

Don't most federal agencies offer some kind of mass transit benefits?  Mine will pay most of the cost a vanpool if you can find enough riders.  I've heard of others that will subsidize metro passes.

Yup! I take advantage of the transit subsidy, but I can't really blame my coworkers for not using transit to get to work. I just happen to live within bicycling range of one of the only frequent and reliable bus lines in the area. Even then, my bus commute is 20 minutes slower than driving a personal car. The Detroit area has abysmal public transit.

[dragoncar]

just overheard:
not a co-worker, but someone who sits 2 desks away in cube-ish/open seating land.

You’re as picky as my old (non)coworker.  We were at the same company and hung out a lot.  But we didn’t literally work together.  One time someone asked how we knew each other and I said “oh we used to work at xxx together” and he got all huffy “WE DIDNT WORK TOGETHER WE WERE IN DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS”

AITA?

[Fomerly known as something]

I recently transferred agencies within the federal government. New agency doesn't pay for parking at the office. Not a big deal--there's a free parking garage an 8 minute walk away (half a mile).

I learned that nearly all of my coworkers instead opt for the $10 surface lot next to our office building. $10 a day 2-5 days in the office per week. "That walk from the free garage will feel a lot longer when it's wintertime," I was told.

Don't most federal agencies offer some kind of mass transit benefits?  Mine will pay most of the cost a vanpool if you can find enough riders.  I've heard of others that will subsidize metro passes.

Only if there is mass transit.  So yes in big cities.  But not in small to midsized ones.

[Sugaree]

I recently transferred agencies within the federal government. New agency doesn't pay for parking at the office. Not a big deal--there's a free parking garage an 8 minute walk away (half a mile).

I learned that nearly all of my coworkers instead opt for the $10 surface lot next to our office building. $10 a day 2-5 days in the office per week. "That walk from the free garage will feel a lot longer when it's wintertime," I was told.

Don't most federal agencies offer some kind of mass transit benefits?  Mine will pay most of the cost a vanpool if you can find enough riders.  I've heard of others that will subsidize metro passes.

Only if there is mass transit.  So yes in big cities.  But not in small to midsized ones.

I live in a small, rural area where public transportation is non-existent at best.  If I can find enough people going in the same general direction, work will pay up to ~$135 per month per person to rent a van for a vanpool.  It's not ideal, but it would beat the 15k miles a year that I commute to work.  I haven't been able to find a suitable ride yet, unfortunately.

[LennStar]

I recently transferred agencies within the federal government. New agency doesn't pay for parking at the office. Not a big deal--there's a free parking garage an 8 minute walk away (half a mile).

I learned that nearly all of my coworkers instead opt for the $10 surface lot next to our office building. $10 a day 2-5 days in the office per week. "That walk from the free garage will feel a lot longer when it's wintertime," I was told.

For $10 a day, you can find a better vice.

Maybe I should open an ice cream truck there... I just can't decide if the garage or the $10 parking lot is more liekly to produce customers.

[jinga nation]

just overheard:
not a co-worker, but someone who sits 2 desks away in cube-ish/open seating land.

You’re as picky as my old (non)coworker.  We were at the same company and hung out a lot.  But we didn’t literally work together.  One time someone asked how we knew each other and I said “oh we used to work at xxx together” and he got all huffy “WE DIDNT WORK TOGETHER WE WERE IN DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS”

AITA?

NTA. You were being polite, plus you hung out with that co-worker.

I'm not picky; just stating facts. At my customer site, we have assigned seating (miltary/gov thing). But only one person sitting around me is my co-worker. The other 8 in my row have nothing to do with the department I'm in. We don't interact. One of those 8 is an ex-co-worker but a classic brown noser and bus thrower ever since he moved from being a fed contractor to a gov civilian. I don't talk to him, unless he asks a question.
My family bumped into Brown Noser & family at a supermarket; I introduced him as person who sits next to me. Wife asked if we worked together. I said no, he sits next to me, we don't work on anything remotely related. He said the same thing of me to his wife. Just stated facts and moved on.

Brown Noser also had money woes when gas hit $5/gal this year. He decided to change his schedule to come to work at 4am instead of 6am; this way he has very minimal red light stops and reduces idling his souped up lifted truck. But then his boss and co-workers are looking for him all afternoon when he's gone home. His wife is a college instructor and they eat out every night or get takeaway, despite renovating a huge kitchen. He's wondering why their daughter has been told she's overweight by the doc. He talks a lot about his family to his boss over video calls, and the folks in my and adjacent rows have a case of TMI. Sometimes his boss' boss comes over and tells him to stop yapping and get working. Oh the joys of being a gov civilian.

[Wintergreen78]

I recently transferred agencies within the federal government. New agency doesn't pay for parking at the office. Not a big deal--there's a free parking garage an 8 minute walk away (half a mile).

I learned that nearly all of my coworkers instead opt for the $10 surface lot next to our office building. $10 a day 2-5 days in the office per week. "That walk from the free garage will feel a lot longer when it's wintertime," I was told.

Don't most federal agencies offer some kind of mass transit benefits?  Mine will pay most of the cost a vanpool if you can find enough riders.  I've heard of others that will subsidize metro passes.

Only if there is mass transit.  So yes in big cities.  But not in small to midsized ones.

I live in a small, rural area where public transportation is non-existent at best.  If I can find enough people going in the same general direction, work will pay up to ~$135 per month per person to rent a van for a vanpool.  It's not ideal, but it would beat the 15k miles a year that I commute to work.  I haven't been able to find a suitable ride yet, unfortunately.

I used to work at a public agency with an even better incentive. If you rode your bike (my choice) or commuted, you got extra vacation time. It totaled 2 extra days per year. So, I got to be outside and get exercise every day, and I got more time off!

I was one of a tiny handful that took advantage of the benefit.

[techwiz]

Co-worker1: Getting the boat taken out of the water and back in storage next week before the frost hits. 
Co-worker2: How many days did you get out on the boat this season?
Co-worker: Actually none the water was low this year and my depth sensor needs fixing, the gas prices were really high this year... hoping next season to really enjoy it and take it out a lot more.

I can't help but think about all the cash my co-worker is throwing into this money pit on the water! All for the pleasure of spending even more money on maintenance and replacement parts.

• $ to have his large boat put into the water
  
• $$$ for mooring all summer
• $ to pull the boat out
• $$ to get the boat winterized
• $$$ for winter storage

There is insurance and gas on top of that. My co-worker should have listened to Felix Dennis.

[Kris]

Co-worker1: Getting the boat taken out of the water and back in storage next week before the frost hits. 
Co-worker2: How many days did you get out on the boat this season?
Co-worker: Actually none the water was low this year and my depth sensor needs fixing, the gas prices were really high this year... hoping next season to really enjoy it and take it out a lot more.

I can't help but think about all the cash my co-worker is throwing into this money pit on the water! All for the pleasure of spending even more money on maintenance and replacement parts.

• $ to have his large boat put into the water
  
• $$$ for mooring all summer
• $ to pull the boat out
• $$ to get the boat winterized
• $$$ for winter storage

There is insurance and gas on top of that. My co-worker should have listened to Felix Dennis.

Yep. We had sailboats for a while, and the last one we had was on a lake that took us about 20 minutes to get to. At the end of the second summer we had it there, we realized the cost per sailing hour ended up just way too exorbitant to justify keeping it. So we sold the boat. I know DH sometimes wishes we still had it, but I do not.

[talltexan]

I benefit from my MiL being committed to the boating project. She has owned the boat for years, and springs for a lot of the cost. I'm trying to get better about showing up with cash for tips, etc., when she has them dock her boat, but i'm not the best about this.

[Sugaree]

My DH and FIL had/have boats at a marina 2 hours away.  It's a beautiful place, but the drive is a killer.  We used to go all the time, and camp on the boat almost every weekend.  It had been a long time since then and both really need to be sold.  But not my circus, not my monkeys.  I've got plenty of monkeys of my own that have to be wrangled right now.

[Fi(re) on the Farm]

That's why I have a kayak. Actually I have 3 kayaks and 2 canoes but they are all still cheaper than owning a boat.

[ohsnap]

I recently transferred agencies within the federal government. New agency doesn't pay for parking at the office. Not a big deal--there's a free parking garage an 8 minute walk away (half a mile).

I learned that nearly all of my coworkers instead opt for the $10 surface lot next to our office building. $10 a day 2-5 days in the office per week. "That walk from the free garage will feel a lot longer when it's wintertime," I was told.

Not co-worker related, but it reminds me of the medical office building where I saw doctors several times a year until we moved last year. The attached parking garage was $3.50/hr IIRC, and of course it always took at least an hour for the appointment so you're looking at $7 each visit. I noticed after my very first visit that street parking was FREE. And there were always spots available within a block. I mentioned it to a friend one time who thought I was nuts for being willing to walk 3 minutes each way to save $7. So after that I kept the secret free parking to myself.

[Taran Wanderer]

That's why I have a kayak. Actually I have 3 kayaks and 2 canoes but they are all still cheaper than owning a boat.

I have 6 kayaks. The great thing about them is they are plastic and if stored dry and inside, there is zero maintenance. They’re heavy, but oh well. Now if only the rubber necks and wrists on my dry gear required zero maintenance…

[ChickenStash]

A coworker recently took his F150 in for an oil change and they found a piece of metal in the oil that was guessed to be part of the timing chain. I saw a pic of it and I'm not so sure, but I don't pay much attention to trucks so I'll assume it is true. Note, the truck is still running fine with only 140k miles and no other symptoms, warning lights, expensive noises, or additional holes in the block so whatever it is hasn't caused a catastrophic failure at this point.

Next stop: New truck dealer! Woo! Time for a $30k Maverick + $8k in accessories (including the paint protection, natch). All this wrapped into an 84mo loan at 8.5%. But wait! He negotiated it down to 84mo at 7.7% at delivery - very shrewd.

He did trade in the old F150 for 10k and it had been paid off earlier... because he did a cash-out mortgage refi a short time ago and paid the balance. That refi also may have funded a new Harley, too, although that could have been covered by him taking a disbursement from his 401k when he was unemployed before starting here - my inner self was laughing too hard to remember the timeline exactly.

He's also the type to have a truck due to the macho factor so the rest of us are thinking of starting a pool to see how long he lasts with the Maverick trucklet before he decides he "needs" a full-size, again.

[zolotiyeruki]

A coworker recently took his F150 in for an oil change and they found a piece of metal in the oil that was guessed to be part of the timing chain. I saw a pic of it and I'm not so sure, but I don't pay much attention to trucks so I'll assume it is true. Note, the truck is still running fine with only 140k miles and no other symptoms, warning lights, expensive noises, or additional holes in the block so whatever it is hasn't caused a catastrophic failure at this point.

My guess is that it's a piece of the timing chain guide/tensioner.  If the timing chain goes, the whole engine stops, but a failing tensioner/guide might still allow the engine to operate for a little bit without catastrophic results.  But gosh, either way, if the truck was still running fine, it's $1000ish to replace all the affected parts, and you're back on the road again.

It's crazy to me how much people are willing to pay when their car hits 100,000 miles and a bunch of maintenance is due at once.  Tires, shocks, timing belt, various fluids...yeah, if you're paying a mechanic, those add up to a couple grand, but once you're through it, your car is pretty much good for another 100k with normal maintenance, for a whole lot less money than a brand new car.  And if you do your own car repair, it's a few hundred bucks in parts.

[RWTL]

A coworker recently took his F150 in for an oil change and they found a piece of metal in the oil that was guessed to be part of the timing chain. I saw a pic of it and I'm not so sure, but I don't pay much attention to trucks so I'll assume it is true. Note, the truck is still running fine with only 140k miles and no other symptoms, warning lights, expensive noises, or additional holes in the block so whatever it is hasn't caused a catastrophic failure at this point.

My guess is that it's a piece of the timing chain guide/tensioner.  If the timing chain goes, the whole engine stops, but a failing tensioner/guide might still allow the engine to operate for a little bit without catastrophic results.  But gosh, either way, if the truck was still running fine, it's $1000ish to replace all the affected parts, and you're back on the road again.

It's crazy to me how much people are willing to pay when their car hits 100,000 miles and a bunch of maintenance is due at once.  Tires, shocks, timing belt, various fluids...yeah, if you're paying a mechanic, those add up to a couple grand, but once you're through it, your car is pretty much good for another 100k with normal maintenance, for a whole lot less money than a brand new car.  And if you do your own car repair, it's a few hundred bucks in parts.

I AGREE!

I worked with someone who said to me something like "My car just hit 30K miles, so I need to get to the dealer to look for a new one."  I asked why - somewhat dumbfounded.  They said, "That's when things start needing to be replaced." 

My last car had over 200K miles on it - and I did all the maintenance (e.g. Brakes, Oil, filters, brake fluid change, hoses, shocks).  Same for my current truck.  It has 88K miles on it, and I expect it to at least make it to 200K+.  It's a diesel - which may warrant a face punch - but I haul heavy things frequently, and hopefully it will run until the body falls off.

[ChickenStash]

A coworker recently took his F150 in for an oil change and they found a piece of metal in the oil that was guessed to be part of the timing chain. I saw a pic of it and I'm not so sure, but I don't pay much attention to trucks so I'll assume it is true. Note, the truck is still running fine with only 140k miles and no other symptoms, warning lights, expensive noises, or additional holes in the block so whatever it is hasn't caused a catastrophic failure at this point.

My guess is that it's a piece of the timing chain guide/tensioner.  If the timing chain goes, the whole engine stops, but a failing tensioner/guide might still allow the engine to operate for a little bit without catastrophic results.  But gosh, either way, if the truck was still running fine, it's $1000ish to replace all the affected parts, and you're back on the road again.

...

His was an Ecoboost 3.5L that has a few TSBs for chain stretch issues (rattling, codes) with the fix being to replace the primary chain and tensioners at a cost of $2-3k, mostly labor (book rate is ~9 hours, IIRC) and he's not the DIY type. Still, a far cry from a $30k new truck.

They didn't use a traditional roller chain on the main one - I don't know the term for the style but it looks like a row of small bands linked together and an individual band looked about the size and shape of his very blurry piece of debris. I would not have expected a failure like that but I've only messed with the normal roller chains. Like you said tho, a guide or tensioner makes more sense.

None of us in the audience cared to press the question since we already knew the story would end with "Check out my new truck!"

[hudsoncat]

It's crazy to me how much people are willing to pay when their car hits 100,000 miles and a bunch of maintenance is due at once.  Tires, shocks, timing belt, various fluids...yeah, if you're paying a mechanic, those add up to a couple grand, but once you're through it, your car is pretty much good for another 100k with normal maintenance, for a whole lot less money than a brand new car.  And if you do your own car repair, it's a few hundred bucks in parts.

Not mechanically inclined, will happily pay a mechanic... but we have a car that went over 200K last year and had a couple things go wrong. Took it in, no problem, can fix it all for about $1800. Great, do it. Spouse had a busy day at work so a co-worker took me to pick it up and we had this convo on the way:

CW: So are you getting a new car soon then?
Me (with surprise): No? It was pretty cheap fix!
CW: But you've had that car for the entire time we've worked together, it has to be up there in miles.
Me: a little over 200K, but we've literally done nothing in 12 years of ownership besides basic maintenance. This is the first thing to go wrong that wasn't something you'd expect to replace.
CW: And you trust it? I never drive mine over 100k!
Me: … I guess if fixes start happening more regularly we'll weight the cost, but for right now, yeah. Happy with it.
CW: Well, hopefully it doesn't leave you on the side of the road!

And a year later we've twice driven it across 2-3 states to visit family and our normal driving. NO additional work outside of basic maintenance. CW has purchased a new car and last we chatted is already talking about what she'll "upgrade" to in a year our two.

[LennStar]

And even if it leaves you on the side of the road, thats one really bad day in exchange for thousands of not more dollar. That is a risk I would take. I would not take the risk of me doing anything big on a ton of bullet I will be sitting in though.

[Gerard]

And even if it leaves you on the side of the road, thats one really bad day in exchange for thousands of not more dollar. That is a risk I would take.

Yeah, this. Are people convinced that the only time their car is gonna break down is at midnight on a backroad in Deliverance?

[Taran Wanderer]

Most breakdowns have some sort of weird symptoms in advance. Difficulty starting? Check the battery and alternator. Weird clunking noises when you steer? Get those ball joints replaced. Other things are just a matter of changing fluids or time-based changes of something like a timing belt. Sure, some sensors could go, but those usually won’t leave you stranded - just in limp-home mode. Even then, they’re not that expensive and you can replace them proactively if you’re really worried. A fuel pump could be a problem, but that’s also something that can be replaced at 100,000 to avoid worry.

I think it all comes down to your mentality on maintenance.  Everything needs maintenance. You can do it proactively and preventively, or you can wait for it to break and then react. Once I’m not confident I can jump in my car today and drive 3,000 miles across the country, I’ll fix whatever the concern is. I’ve taken several cars well past 200,000 miles and being stranded on the side of the road hasn’t yet been a reason to get a different car.

[ixtap]

I have given up on my last two cars due to fuel issues that were hard to repeat in shop conditions, much less address. I still tired for a few months and paid for flushes and what nots before giving up. There was a very real possibility of being left on the side of the road on a rural highway in the first case, but it was cheaper to get my first cell phone than replace the car. Now that everyone already has a phone?

[charis]

It's crazy to me how much people are willing to pay when their car hits 100,000 miles and a bunch of maintenance is due at once.  Tires, shocks, timing belt, various fluids...yeah, if you're paying a mechanic, those add up to a couple grand, but once you're through it, your car is pretty much good for another 100k with normal maintenance, for a whole lot less money than a brand new car.  And if you do your own car repair, it's a few hundred bucks in parts.

So shockingly, most people do not plan for a $300-$1000 car repair bill, plus, they already have a monthly car payment.   If it's close to or over 1k, they look for a new car because they can essentially roll that $$ problem into a new "affordable" monthly payment.  I think monthly car loan payments mess with people's heads so they think they shouldn't have to (or can't) pay for repairs on top of that.

[jinga nation]

It's crazy to me how much people are willing to pay when their car hits 100,000 miles and a bunch of maintenance is due at once.  Tires, shocks, timing belt, various fluids...yeah, if you're paying a mechanic, those add up to a couple grand, but once you're through it, your car is pretty much good for another 100k with normal maintenance, for a whole lot less money than a brand new car.  And if you do your own car repair, it's a few hundred bucks in parts.

Not mechanically inclined, will happily pay a mechanic... but we have a car that went over 200K last year and had a couple things go wrong. Took it in, no problem, can fix it all for about $1800. Great, do it. Spouse had a busy day at work so a co-worker took me to pick it up and we had this convo on the way:

CW: So are you getting a new car soon then?
Me (with surprise): No? It was pretty cheap fix!
CW: But you've had that car for the entire time we've worked together, it has to be up there in miles.
Me: a little over 200K, but we've literally done nothing in 12 years of ownership besides basic maintenance. This is the first thing to go wrong that wasn't something you'd expect to replace.
CW: And you trust it? I never drive mine over 100k!
Me: … I guess if fixes start happening more regularly we'll weight the cost, but for right now, yeah. Happy with it.
CW: Well, hopefully it doesn't leave you on the side of the road!

And a year later we've twice driven it across 2-3 states to visit family and our normal driving. NO additional work outside of basic maintenance. CW has purchased a new car and last we chatted is already talking about what she'll "upgrade" to in a year our two.

bolded part above: this is still a thing.
My uncle, when he moved to the USA in the late 70s, drove Chevys. and had issues once the cars hit 100k. He has that mentally ingrained even though he's owned only Lexus/Toyota since 1992. When his or his wife's vehicle hit 100k, he'd get them traded in for the latest model. It finally dawned on him he'd been pissing money away when he tried to trade in the minivan during peak pandemic; sales guy told him the price of a new one, and said the old one is good for another 200k by staying on the maintenance schedule (my uncle is fastidious about that). Now even he laughs at family parties that he's been an idiot for 30 years.

[Sandi_k]

Most breakdowns have some sort of weird symptoms in advance. Difficulty starting? Check the battery and alternator. Weird clunking noises when you steer? Get those ball joints replaced. Other things are just a matter of changing fluids or time-based changes of something like a timing belt. Sure, some sensors could go, but those usually won’t leave you stranded - just in limp-home mode. Even then, they’re not that expensive and you can replace them proactively if you’re really worried. A fuel pump could be a problem, but that’s also something that can be replaced at 100,000 to avoid worry.

I think it all comes down to your mentality on maintenance.  Everything needs maintenance. You can do it proactively and preventively, or you can wait for it to break and then react. Once I’m not confident I can jump in my car today and drive 3,000 miles across the country, I’ll fix whatever the concern is. I’ve taken several cars well past 200,000 miles and being stranded on the side of the road hasn’t yet been a reason to get a different car.

When I bought my last car, I swore to keep it for 10 years or 200k miles, whichever came first. In the end, I kept it for almost exactly 10 years, and it had nearly 260k miles on it.

I sold it because I *had* kept up with maintenance, and it stranded me on my 50 mile, one-way commute. The manifold cover had apparently cracked due to heat and age (it was plastic) and that item is not on *any* maintenance list. It took 8 hours to diagnose. Happily, the shop ate the labor, as it cracked when they removed it to replace my spark plugs and wires.

So it's not always a lack of maintenance. I would argue that after 250k miles, it's sufficiently past its useful life span, and OK for you to get a "new to you" car, of whatever vintage you choose.

[jinga nation]

not work, but at the gym. exiting, was walking behind a parent with their 2 kids.

kid: what's for dinner?
parent: chipotle
kid: but we had that for lunch with other parent
other kid: we only have chipotle for lunch
parent: well you can have it for dinner tonight
kid: but i already had it, dinner is supposed to be at home
parent: well i decided we're going to eat that
kid: that isn't healthy. it's a school night, dinner should be at home
parent: get in the car

not knowing context and more details, not drawing conclusions, it could be a one-off. but the interesting part was the thought process of the kids.

[mm1970]

It's crazy to me how much people are willing to pay when their car hits 100,000 miles and a bunch of maintenance is due at once.  Tires, shocks, timing belt, various fluids...yeah, if you're paying a mechanic, those add up to a couple grand, but once you're through it, your car is pretty much good for another 100k with normal maintenance, for a whole lot less money than a brand new car.  And if you do your own car repair, it's a few hundred bucks in parts.

So shockingly, most people do not plan for a $300-$1000 car repair bill, plus, they already have a monthly car payment.   If it's close to or over 1k, they look for a new car because they can essentially roll that $$ problem into a new "affordable" monthly payment.  I think monthly car loan payments mess with people's heads so they think they shouldn't have to (or can't) pay for repairs on top of that.

We just had an almost $2k car bill for my 16 year old car, though honestly, about $900 of that was regular maintenance and the rest was a repair.  Spouse and I are talking about replacing the car...but you know with the supply chain issues and inertia...still probably won't be for a couple of  years, if not longer.

It's a Toyota, so it's really only just middle aged.

[Taran Wanderer]

Spouse and I are talking about replacing the car...but you know with the supply chain issues and inertia...still probably won't be for a couple of  years, if not longer.

It's a Toyota, so it's really only just middle aged.

Well, you don’t want to rush into these things…

[Siebrie]

My sister's ex-in laws used to buy a new car every 2 years, trading in the old one at the dealership. They were well-off working class, and they always said 'it's his (fil's) hobby'.

To be fair to them: fil was a very handy guy, he built his own garage, landscaped their own garden and everything, and their rent was extremely low, and they went on holiday to the same campsite in Italy with their own caravan for 3 weeks every year.

[2sk22]

not work, but at the gym. exiting, was walking behind a parent with their 2 kids.

kid: what's for dinner?
parent: chipotle
kid: but we had that for lunch with other parent
other kid: we only have chipotle for lunch
parent: well you can have it for dinner tonight
kid: but i already had it, dinner is supposed to be at home
parent: well i decided we're going to eat that
kid: that isn't healthy. it's a school night, dinner should be at home
parent: get in the car

not knowing context and more details, not drawing conclusions, it could be a one-off. but the interesting part was the thought process of the kids.

I've overheard similar conversations recently. Eating out every day has got to be ruinously expensive - fast food inflation has been way higher than for other many  things.

[charis]

not work, but at the gym. exiting, was walking behind a parent with their 2 kids.

kid: what's for dinner?
parent: chipotle
kid: but we had that for lunch with other parent
other kid: we only have chipotle for lunch
parent: well you can have it for dinner tonight
kid: but i already had it, dinner is supposed to be at home
parent: well i decided we're going to eat that
kid: that isn't healthy. it's a school night, dinner should be at home
parent: get in the car

not knowing context and more details, not drawing conclusions, it could be a one-off. but the interesting part was the thought process of the kids.

I've overheard similar conversations recently. Eating out every day has got to be ruinously expensive - fast food inflation has been way higher than for other many  things.

You aren't kidding.  Our go to "cheap" takeout dinner has always been the local sub shop.  Two and half hot subs after tax and modest tip is over $50 now.  It's very hard to justify.

[hudsoncat]

It's crazy to me how much people are willing to pay when their car hits 100,000 miles and a bunch of maintenance is due at once.  Tires, shocks, timing belt, various fluids...yeah, if you're paying a mechanic, those add up to a couple grand, but once you're through it, your car is pretty much good for another 100k with normal maintenance, for a whole lot less money than a brand new car.  And if you do your own car repair, it's a few hundred bucks in parts.

So shockingly, most people do not plan for a $300-$1000 car repair bill, plus, they already have a monthly car payment.   If it's close to or over 1k, they look for a new car because they can essentially roll that $$ problem into a new "affordable" monthly payment.  I think monthly car loan payments mess with people's heads so they think they shouldn't have to (or can't) pay for repairs on top of that.

We just had an almost $2k car bill for my 16 year old car, though honestly, about $900 of that was regular maintenance and the rest was a repair.  Spouse and I are talking about replacing the car...but you know with the supply chain issues and inertia...still probably won't be for a couple of  years, if not longer.

It's a Toyota, so it's really only just middle aged.

hahaha... mine is a now 13 year old toyota with 215k on it... so you know, I expect we still have some time yet.

[SunnyDays]

It's crazy to me how much people are willing to pay when their car hits 100,000 miles and a bunch of maintenance is due at once.  Tires, shocks, timing belt, various fluids...yeah, if you're paying a mechanic, those add up to a couple grand, but once you're through it, your car is pretty much good for another 100k with normal maintenance, for a whole lot less money than a brand new car.  And if you do your own car repair, it's a few hundred bucks in parts.

So shockingly, most people do not plan for a $300-$1000 car repair bill, plus, they already have a monthly car payment.   If it's close to or over 1k, they look for a new car because they can essentially roll that $$ problem into a new "affordable" monthly payment.  I think monthly car loan payments mess with people's heads so they think they shouldn't have to (or can't) pay for repairs on top of that.

We just had an almost $2k car bill for my 16 year old car, though honestly, about $900 of that was regular maintenance and the rest was a repair.  Spouse and I are talking about replacing the car...but you know with the supply chain issues and inertia...still probably won't be for a couple of  years, if not longer.

It's a Toyota, so it's really only just middle aged.

hahaha... mine is a now 13 year old toyota with 215k on it... so you know, I expect we still have some time yet.

My Toyota Matrix turns 20 this month and has 150K kilometres on it.  It's still a baby.

[zolotiyeruki]

It's crazy to me how much people are willing to pay when their car hits 100,000 miles and a bunch of maintenance is due at once.  Tires, shocks, timing belt, various fluids...yeah, if you're paying a mechanic, those add up to a couple grand, but once you're through it, your car is pretty much good for another 100k with normal maintenance, for a whole lot less money than a brand new car.  And if you do your own car repair, it's a few hundred bucks in parts.

So shockingly, most people do not plan for a $300-$1000 car repair bill, plus, they already have a monthly car payment.   If it's close to or over 1k, they look for a new car because they can essentially roll that $$ problem into a new "affordable" monthly payment.  I think monthly car loan payments mess with people's heads so they think they shouldn't have to (or can't) pay for repairs on top of that.

We just had an almost $2k car bill for my 16 year old car, though honestly, about $900 of that was regular maintenance and the rest was a repair.  Spouse and I are talking about replacing the car...but you know with the supply chain issues and inertia...still probably won't be for a couple of  years, if not longer.

It's a Toyota, so it's really only just middle aged.

hahaha... mine is a now 13 year old toyota with 215k on it... so you know, I expect we still have some time yet.

Almost a year ago, I lost my 27-year-old, 250k mile Toyota to a rear-end accident.  It was starting to rust, but mechanically was perfect, thanks to a combination of good engineering (from Toyota) and consistent maintenance (from me) over the 19 years we owned it.

215k?  Eh, you're maybe on your second or third timing belt replacement, and it may be finally time to replace the rear brakes, and maybe your shocks need replacing by now.  No biggie.  Keep up on the maintenance, and that 215k-mile toyota is likely only middle aged.

[mm1970]

It's crazy to me how much people are willing to pay when their car hits 100,000 miles and a bunch of maintenance is due at once.  Tires, shocks, timing belt, various fluids...yeah, if you're paying a mechanic, those add up to a couple grand, but once you're through it, your car is pretty much good for another 100k with normal maintenance, for a whole lot less money than a brand new car.  And if you do your own car repair, it's a few hundred bucks in parts.

So shockingly, most people do not plan for a $300-$1000 car repair bill, plus, they already have a monthly car payment.   If it's close to or over 1k, they look for a new car because they can essentially roll that $$ problem into a new "affordable" monthly payment.  I think monthly car loan payments mess with people's heads so they think they shouldn't have to (or can't) pay for repairs on top of that.

We just had an almost $2k car bill for my 16 year old car, though honestly, about $900 of that was regular maintenance and the rest was a repair.  Spouse and I are talking about replacing the car...but you know with the supply chain issues and inertia...still probably won't be for a couple of  years, if not longer.

It's a Toyota, so it's really only just middle aged.

hahaha... mine is a now 13 year old toyota with 215k on it... so you know, I expect we still have some time yet.

My Toyota Matrix turns 20 this month and has 150K kilometres on it.  It's still a baby.

Yeah, my matrix has just under 160k miles.  I keep wondering when it's going to go over 160k...but I don't drive that often.  I go to the office 3 days a week, so 100 miles a week would be a BIG week.  (It's 20 miles round trip).